Customer call centers, or simply; “call centers,” offer a convenient and universally-accessible forum for customer assistance. Most call centers are reachable by telephone, including data network-based telephone, such as Voice-Over-Internet (VoIP), although Web- and email-based customer support are becoming increasingly available.
Each customer call is an interactive process. The expectation level of callers is generally lower when they are aware that an automated system, rather than a live agent, is providing assistance. Nevertheless, callers still expect expeditious resolution of their concerns and minimizing delay is crucial, even when caller volume is high. Hold times can occur, such as when customers must be placed on hold until an agent becomes available. Call centers frequently play recorded music or advertisements to entertain callers while on hold, although callers on hold for a long time may hear the same content played repeatedly. Alternatively, call centers can feed live radio or subscription content, such as Mozak®, Fort Mill, S.C., which avoids repetition, but also relinquishes control over the content to a third party. Thus, recorded and live content only occupy time and seldom take fullest advantage of the opportunity to provide variable length or targeted content to callers while on hold.
Therefore, there is a need for providing content to call center callers who are waiting on hold that can tailor the content played based on the callers and their customer assistance situations.